September 2, 2005

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Beloved Lord Jesus:

We praise God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) from whom all blessings flow.  During this "Mission Sheets Month", which is the month of August, I heard fourteen sermons preached by eight different preachers and I preached a total of ten sermons.  Seven of those were delivered at the 24th of March Baptist Church where I serve as pastor.  One was at the 3rd Mission of the Celestial Baptist Church and one at the Second Compensa Baptist Church.  The other one was at the home of a couple, members of the 24th of March Baptist Church, at a distant suburb from the church.  He is 29 years old and she is 36 and had several children when she married him.  Since their marriage she has had three children.  The baby will be a year old in January 2006.  I have visited in their home several times and one time held a birthday service for one of their little girls.  At this service Saturday night we had seventeen present.  Marie and a couple from the 24th church went with me.  The lady of the house has two daughters who have children.  They were present with their two children.  We have thought about trying to rent a house to have services in but do not have any definite plans.  We do request your prayers.

We thank all of you who pray for us and all who help us in any way.  We especially thank Brother Dave Parks for keeping us informed that Marie's pacemaker bill has finally been finalized after one year and three months.  We still owe several hundred dollars, but are thankful that Medicare insurance and IGM have paid most of the over $43,000 which her total pacemaker bill came to.  The Lord has been so good to us.  Thus we have shared with you some of our labors for the Lord in the city of Manaus.  We praise God from whom all blessings flow.  Many of His blessings flow through you who support us through BFM.  May the Lord bless you and help us to obey Him is our prayer.  "So likewise ye, when ye have done all these things that are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants.  We have done that which was our duty to do."  (Luke 17:10).  Pray for these unprofitable servants of the Savior Jesus Christ who is Worthy.

We were made sad reading about the destruction of New Orleans, Louisiana, the lives lost, and property destroyed in Mississippi and the death of almost 1,000 people in Iraq.  The Lord knows all about these tragedies and why He permitted them to happen.

Yours in the service of the Savior,

Harold and Marie Bratcher